uprightness | ɪᴄ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀᴄᴛ

Yeah, I know.

[ he nods, settles for simply being pleased with himself, for now. It's not a trick that will last; she'll find the others and remove them, too. just one victory, better make the best of it. ]

But you really shouldn't argue with holiday traditions.

[ he reasons, wrapping an arm around her waist, swaying just a bit, an intimate little dance. ]

[ she spreads her hands gently across his chest. peggy steps forward, claiming the space between them. she even indulges him his mild sway before using the minimal momentum to tip forward and kiss him. quite a keen kiss, too, despite the public nature of the hallway. ]

Enjoy them while you can, I suppose.

[ this is the no-longer-hidden truth laying beneath layers of professionalism and banter. peel those off and there's something else entirely; a gentle sway to a non-existent tune, a kiss of a far more fiery nature and a familiar sort of rush that makes him answer her dryer response with another one, a stolen sort of kiss, a shade more playful, an instinctive response to her words. she did say enjoy them, after all. ]

I probably should, you're going to punch me in a couple of minutes.

[ might as well enjoy this little moment while he has it. ]

[ -- she curls her fingers against his chest, snagging his shirt in a loose fist. doesn't hurt to take a little enjoyment for herself, deepening the kiss for a heartbeat or two before she retreats.

and clarifies: ] I plan to do more than punch you, darling. You'll end up flat on your back.

[ the battle has already started; he just may not have realized it yet. ]

[ he allows himself another moment to enjoy this, her in his arms, the way her voice curls around that one word, darling before he realizes she's trying to distract him and worse, it seems to work. ]

You're very confident. What's gonna happen when you lose? You'll take it all back?

[ it's entirely possible (perhaps even likely!) that she'll lose. doesn't matter; she wears her confidence on her sleeve. it keeps the stakes high. maintains a playful atmosphere, too, because in the end there's no pride lost if she doesn't win. she's taken out men of his size and stature before: it's the serum that makes the field uneven.

she ghosts her fingers across his jaw. down his neck. ] I'll eat crow. But I'm not going to lose.

[ and if she does, she'll have had a good time of it all the same. ]

[ highly likely, she is right about the effects of their stay in the hotel. The whole thing made everything that much easier, the shift of one hand from her hip to her back, the slow caress there. Soft and softer still and perhaps a bit spoiled by the knowledge of what it feels like to fall asleep and wake up with her in his arms. Given a victory, that might be exactly what he'll ask for today. ]

Well, I already have today planned so I can't lose, either.

The bigger they are, Steve, the harder they fall. [ and he's a mountain of a man. peggy only begrudging breaks their half-embrace after a moment longer. she escapes the mistletoe's radius, but finds herself wishing she'd maybe lingered in it a little longer. ]

And I've already planned for you to fall. Hard. [ this is flirtatious. warm. inviting, even, in a way that other conversations don't quite match. ]

You're planning for something that already happened, you realize.

[ he smiles, follows her as she goes. Ha! The mistletoe is still there. With some luck, it'll still be there when they make their way back. ]

I mean, you're a little late, should have thought about alla that in Camp Lehigh.

[ it's there when she punched another mountain of a man to the ground and in the process, made a smaller one fall just as hard. ]

[ she's a little late? oh, don't even get her started. but-- ]

Lehigh? Really? [ a cluck of her tongue. truth be told, she hadn't quite thought it had catalyzed quite so soon. she'd had her eye on him from the outset, certainly, but it had been her assignment to review and observe the candidates. had peggy been pressed to identify when she might've thought steve's feelings for her started? her answer would be the back of the ssr transport car.

to be surprised -- this far in -- invites a flutter into her stomach. ] I'm not certain what that says about you.

[ let alone her. ]

Probably that I've never really met a woman who could punch a fella to the ground like you did.

[ she has more than a bit of a temper but hell if that wasn't the first thing Steve loved about her. ]

There are more of us than you know. [ dry-like. she refuses to think there's anything special about her willingness to punch stupidity its guffawing mouth. ] Just follow the trail of Howard's dalliances. Plenty of those girls have strong hitting arms.

[ which, in the end, only proves that howard quite possibly suffers from the same masochistic affliction as poor steve rogers. ]

No, thank you. I'd like to think one woman with a temper in my life is more than enough.

[ just saying. ]

Smart man. [ ... ] Smarter, still, if you surrendered here and now.

No can do.

[ and that will surprise no one. Steve Rogers could never compute the concept of surrender and who knows it better than his present company. ]

Too much at stake.

[ she smiles. almost shyly. it's as if the anticipation of their sparring match is considerably deepened by his refusal to back down -- however playfully suggested. peggy jams a thumb against the button that opens the shuttle bay doors. they part with a soft hiss. ]

Good. I think I would have been sorely disappointed if you had -- smart move or not.

I usually make an active effort not to.

[ disappoint her. Most days it works except for odd times when she's far too close and he babbles nonsense about her honor.

But that is thankfully behind them. ]

Rules?

I have no issues with fighting 'dirty' -- [ if only because she expects he'll not bring himself to get too underhanded in his tactics. in theory, he'd never have to. the only dispensation she might ask for is that he not knock her out cold. but she suspects he won't do that, either. ]

But I will say I'd rather not spend the next few weeks bedridden once again.

Wouldn't dream about it.

[ she was right to assume there's a paradox, him sparring with a woman he never wants to see hurt. A middle ground will have to be found. He takes off his jacket, adjusts the sleeves of his t-shirt. ]

Alright then.

[ she begins by rolling up her sleeves. she's in trousers, today, instead of a skirt; that'll help. ]

I should have worn my lipstick, [ she teases. ] Could have cinched my victory back beneath the mistletoe.

You really could have, you know

[ he watches her carefully, analyzing everything from her posture to what she's wearing. He's grateful for every hour of sparring time with Natasha. He'll need the lessons she taught him of he's going to win this quickly.

The heart of the matter is that Steve isn't willing to hurt her and Peggy likes winning. This might spell a bit of trouble for him. ]

We'll have to save that for next time.

Next time? [ she rolls her shoulders. by all accounts, she's utterly calm. ] Next time, when I apply a coat and then chase you around trying to steal a kiss while you try very hard not to be kissed? Oh. Yes. I'm sure you'll be aces at that. We'd both be so bloody dignified.

[ and then that calm breaks. peggy isn't a fighter with fine techniques like natasha. although such precision isn't outside of her wheelhouse, it simply also isn't her preferred mode. instead, she fights much like he fights. hard, gutter-worthy motions. the first punch thrown is to his gut while she tries to wrap her off-arm around his elbow. it's a bit of a throw-away tactic; she needs to feel his strength, first, and judge it for herself. ]

[ he realizes what she's about to do a split second before she does it. He manages to dodge that punch but not the arm that snakes around his elbow. He aims for her legs, tries to shake her balance. ]

Not sure I can really try not to be kissed by you.

[ -- a brief grunt (possibly a non-verbal shut up) punctuated her missed punch. peggy yanks hard on his arm, thrusting it back from his side. whatever misgivings he feels about hurting her, she clearly doesn't share them -- but only because she realizes it would take a monumental effort for her to inflict anything he couldn't simply soak.

his foot catches her ankle. she wobbles for a moment, but recovers. side-steps, still with her arm locked in his. cliched, perhaps, but she attempts to drive his elbow towards the middle of his back. ]

[ it doesn't come as a surprise, the ferocity of her attacks. he wasn't expecting anything less. one thing he knows, the key to a quick victory is getting her on the mat. Once there, it'll just be a matter of keeping her down.

if his Christmas day is going to go as planned, he can't spend this match playing defense. he struggles against her grip and instead of freeing his arm by shaking her off, he leans forward, roots himself and pushes back against her grip, aims to send both his elbow and her arm towards her middle, take the hit or let go, seems to be the message. ]

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